Music is the arrangement ofsound to create some combination ofform,harmony,melody,rhythm, or otherwiseexpressive content. Music is generally agreed to be acultural universal that is present in all human societies.Definitions of music vary widely in substance and approach. While scholars agree that music is defined by a small number ofspecific elements, there is no consensus as to what these necessary elements are. Music is often characterized as a highly versatile medium for expressing humancreativity. Diverse activities are involved in the creation of music, and are often divided into categories ofcomposition,improvisation, andperformance. Music may be performed using a wide variety ofmusical instruments, including thehuman voice. It can also be composed, sequenced, or otherwise produced to be indirectly played mechanically or electronically, such as via amusic box,barrel organ, ordigital audio workstation software on a computer.

Music often plays a key role in social events andreligious ceremonies. The techniques of making music are often transmitted as part of a cultural tradition. Music is played in public and private contexts, highlighted at events such asfestivals and concerts for various different types of ensembles. Music is used in the production of other media, such as insoundtracks to films, TV shows,operas, and video games.

Listening to music is a common means ofentertainment. The culture surrounding music extends into areas ofacademic study,journalism,philosophy,psychology, andtherapy. Themusic industry includes songwriters, performers,sound engineers, producers, tour organizers, distributors of instruments, accessories, and publishers ofsheet music andrecordings. Technology facilitating therecording and reproduction of music has historically includedsheet music,microphones,phonographs, andtape machines, with playback ofdigital music being a common use forMP3 players,CD players, andsmartphones. (Full article...)

General images -load new batch

The following are images from various music-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Anancient Egyptian mural of people playingmusic. (fromHistory of music)
Image 2As LPs fell out of favor to CDs,hip hop producers repurposed them assampling sources, contributing to the development ofrecord collecting. (fromAlbum era)
Image 3Kanye West (2007) emerged during the decade as an important hip-hop producer and album artist. (fromAlbum era)
Image 4The Beatles have been credited by music historians for heralding the album era. (fromAlbum era)
Image 5The Japanese boy bandArashi, who had the world's best-selling album (5x20 All the Best!!) in 2019 (fromAlbum era)
Image 6Clara andRobert Schumann (fromHistory of music)
Image 7Two musicians of theEastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE),Shanghai Museum (fromHistory of music)
Image 8AnLP record on a phonograph (fromAlbum era)
Image 9Sheet music for part of theMissa Papae Marcelli byGiovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (fromHistory of music)
Image 10Pink Floyd (1973) performingThe Dark Side of the Moon, a leading commercial success of the LP era (fromAlbum era)
Image 11A young couple listening to music on aniPod Mini, 2006 (fromAlbum era)
Image 12Stevie Wonder, among the era's innovative artists (fromAlbum era)
Image 13ARhodes College student listening to the 1969Yes LP on campus,c. 1970 (fromAlbum era)
Image 14Drawing of the tablet with the Hymn toNikkal (c. 1400 BCE), the oldest of the Hurrian songs (fromHistory of music)
Image 15AnHMV record shop inWakefield, England closing its operation in 2013 (fromAlbum era)
Image 16Guillaume Du Fay (left), withGilles Binchois (right) in ac. 1440 Illuminated manuscript copy ofMartin le Franc'sLe champion des dames (fromHistory of music)
Image 17J. S. Bach (fromHistory of music)
Image 18The monumentalBianzhong of Marquis Yi of Zeng,c. 5th century BCE, from Hubei (fromHistory of music)
Image 19A young man browsing through arecord store inBonn, West Germany, June 1988 (fromAlbum era)
Image 20US vinyl sales in units, 1995–2020; while album sales overall declined, those in thevinyl format rose toward the end of the 2010s. (fromAlbum era)
Image 21Alleluia nativitas byPerotin from the Codex Guelf.1099 (fromHistory of music)
Image 22A smartphone displaying playlists onSpotify, 2010. Thestreaming service became a dominant and redefining platform for music consumption through the decade. (fromAlbum era)
Image 23Circular definition of "musicality" (fromElements of music)
Image 24An audience watching aconcert (fromMusic industry)
Image 25Terracotta statue of a Parthian lute player (fromHistory of music)
Image 26TheBull Headed Lyre of Ur, found in theRoyal Cemetery at Ur, is the best known of the ancientLyres of Ur (fromHistory of music)
Image 27Notation indicating differing pitch, dynamics, articulation, and instrumentation (fromElements of music)
Image 28Beyoncé (2016) popularized thesurprise-album strategy of the 2010s. (fromAlbum era)
Image 29Musicians working in arecording studio (fromMusic industry)
Image 30A musician in a recording studio (fromMusic industry)
Image 31Platinum records byElvis Presley,Prince,Madonna,Lynyrd Skynyrd, andBruce Springsteen, atJulien's Auctions (fromAlbum era)
Image 32Frank Sinatra (c. 1955), an early pop album artist (fromAlbum era)
Image 33A radio broadcasting system from 1906 (fromMusic industry)
Image 34The logo forApple Inc.'s onlineiTunes store, which sells digital files of songs and musical pieces–along with a range of other content, such as digital files ofTV shows andmovies (fromMusic industry)
Image 35The portableDiscman CD player, which was released in 1984 and precipitated the displacement of LPs (fromAlbum era)
Image 36Frances Densmore at theSmithsonian Institution in 1916 where she was recordingBlackfoot chiefMountain Chief for theBureau of American Ethnology. In this picture, Mountain Chief is listening to a recording. (fromMusic industry)
Image 37The Rolling Stones in 1967 (fromAlbum era)
Image 38c. 379 CE Bas relief ofSassanid women playing thechang inTaq-e Bostan, Iran (fromHistory of music)
Image 39An example of mechanically printed sheet music (fromMusic industry)
Image 40A studio engineer working with anaudio mixer in a recording studio (fromMusic industry)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Featured articles -load new batch

Featured articles are displayed here, which represent some of the best content on English Wikipedia.

Image 1

Page 5 from the cantata'sautograph score, with the entrance of the voices in the middle section of the first movement

Unser Mund sei voll Lachens ('May our mouth be full of laughter'),BWV 110, is a church cantata byJohann Sebastian Bach. He composed theChristmas cantata inLeipzig for Christmas Day and first performed it on 25 December 1725.

When Bach wrote the music, he was in his third year asThomaskantor, the church music director of Leipzig. After months with only a few cantata compositions, he embarked on a set of five cantatas for Christmas occasions. In four of these, he used earlier texts published in 1711 byGeorg Christian Lehms. The text for this cantata has no pairs of recitative and arias as is common inBaroque opera and contemporaryBach cantatas. Using an older style, it instead features three biblical quotations – verses fromPsalm 126, a verse from theBook of Jeremiah about God's greatness, and the angels' song from the Nativity according to theGospel of Luke – alternating with arias. The closingchorale is fromKaspar Füger's hymn "Wir Christenleut". (Full article...)
Image 2
"The Long and Winding Road" is a song by the Englishrock bandthe Beatles from their 1970 albumLet It Be. A pianoballad, it was written byPaul McCartney and credited to theLennon–McCartney partnership. McCartney composed it at his Scotland farm in 1968, driven by the Beatles' increasing bitterness towards each other. As he did so, he "imagined it was going to be done by someone likeRay Charles", according to his recollection. The main recording of the song took place in January 1969 and featured a sparse arrangement of piano, bass, guitar, and percussion. With theLet It Be album project disrupted,John Lennon andGeorge Harrison lent the band's January 1969 recordings, including that of "The Long and Winding Road", to producerPhil Spector in hopes that an album could materialize. He added orchestral and choraloverdubs to the song.

McCartney, along with the rest of the band, sent Spector a telegram sanctioning his arrangements. However, by late April, he had grown to dislike them. The Beatles' producerGeorge Martin and their engineer during theGet Back sessions Glyn Johns also disapproved of them. McCartney firmly asked the band's managerAllen Klein to curtail Spector's production, which he did not. When McCartney made his case in the EnglishHigh Court for the dissolution of the Beatles' legal partnership, he cited the treatment of "The Long and Winding Road" as one of six reasons justifying the split. In his defence, Spector argued that the bass playing on the song, done by Lennon, was poor and had to be covered, and that McCartney had been consulted prior to its release. (Full article...)
Image 3
"Gento" (stylized inall uppercase) is a song recorded by theFilipino boy bandSB19 for their secondextended play (EP),Pagtatag! (2023). The band's leader,Pablo, wrote the song alone and co-produced it with Joshua Daniel Nase and Simon Servida. Apop andhip-hop track, it is aboutempowerment and usesgold mining as a metaphor for achieving success, alluding to the band's career. The song was released viaSony Music Philippines on May 19, 2023, as the EP'slead single.

Most reviews frommusic critics favored the single'scatchy lyricism, but its monotonous composition was subject to criticism. The song was SB19's first entry on two ofBillboard'srecord charts:World Digital Song Sales—a first among Filipino groups—and thePhilippines Songs charts, peaking at numbers eight and eleven, respectively. A dance challenge set to the song became atrend onTikTok. The accompanyingmusic video, directed by Kerbs Balagtas, depicted the band members mining for gold. The group promoted the song with live performances and included it on theset list of theirPagtatag! World Tour (2023–2024). The song has received multiple accolades, including Best Dance/Electronic Recording at the2024 Awit Awards. (Full article...)
Image 4
Arthur Sullivan in 1888

Sir Arthur Seymour SullivanMVO (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14comic opera collaborations with the dramatistW. S. Gilbert, includingH.M.S. Pinafore,The Pirates of Penzance andThe Mikado. His works include 24 operas, 11 major orchestral works, ten choral works andoratorios, two ballets,incidental music to several plays, and numerous church pieces, songs, and piano and chamber pieces. His hymns and songs include "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and "The Lost Chord".

The son of a military bandmaster, Sullivan composed his first anthem at the age of eight and was later a soloist in the boys' choir of theChapel Royal. In 1856, at 14, he was awarded the firstMendelssohn Scholarship by theRoyal Academy of Music, which allowed him to study at the academy and then at theLeipzig Conservatoire in Germany. His graduation piece, incidental music toShakespeare'sThe Tempest (1861), was received with acclaim on its first performance in London. Among his early major works were a ballet,L'Île Enchantée (1864), asymphony, acello concerto (both 1866), and hisOverture di Ballo (1870). To supplement the income from his concert works he wrote hymns,parlour ballads and other light pieces, and worked as a church organist and music teacher. (Full article...)
Image 5
"The One" is a song by American singerTamar Braxton from her second studio album,Love and War, which was released on September 3, 2013. Braxton co-wrote the song with its producer,K.E. on the Track, along withLaShawn Daniels,Christian Ward,Jean-Claude Oliver, and Shaunice Lasha Jones.Epic andStreamline Records issued it as the album's second single on May 7, 2013. "The One" is about commitment to a romantic partner, and the production uses asample ofMtume's "Juicy Fruit" (1983) and a portion ofthe Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" (1994).

The song received positive reviews from critics who associated it with summer and praised Braxton's vocals. Reviewers commented on the use of samples, believing they were already overused in past music. The single peaked at number four onBillboard'sBubbling Under Hot 100 and number 34 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and wascertified Gold by theRecording Industry Association of America.Gil Green directed the music video, which features Braxton on a date at theSanta Monica Pier. Braxton further promoted "The One" through live performances, including on herLove and War Tour in 2014. (Full article...)
Image 6
Kal Ho Naa Ho (transl. Tomorrow may never come,pronounced [kəlɦoːnaːɦoː]), also abbreviated asKHNH, is a 2003 IndianHindi-languageromantic comedy drama film directed by debutantNikhil Advani, written byKaran Johar andNiranjan Iyengar, and produced byYash Johar underDharma Productions. The film starsShah Rukh Khan,Saif Ali Khan, andPreity Zinta, withJaya Bachchan,Sushma Seth,Reema Lagoo,Lillete Dubey, andDelnaaz Irani in supporting roles. Set inNew York City, the story follows Naina Catherine Kapur (Zinta) who gradually falls for her visiting neighbour Aman Mathur (Shah Rukh Khan), but a secret prevents Aman from reciprocating his feelings, causing him to set Naina up with her best friend, Rohit Patel (Saif Ali Khan).

Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composed the original soundtrack and background score in their first collaboration with Johar, with lyrics written byJaved Akhtar.Anil Mehta,Manish Malhotra, andSharmishta Roy were the cinematographer, costume designer and art director, respectively.Principal photography took place inToronto,New York City, andMumbai from January to October 2003. Filming was stalled for around six months due to Shah Rukh Khan's illness. The soundtrack was released on 27 September 2003 to positive reviews; thetitle song, "It's The Time To Disco", "Kuch To Hua Hai", and "Pretty Woman" were particularly well-received. (Full article...)
Image 7
Everywhere at the End of Time is the eleventh recording by Englishelectronic musician James Leyland Kirby under the aliasthe Caretaker. Released between 2016 and 2019, its six albums use degradedsamples of oldballroom music, largely from the 1920s and 1930s, to portray the stages ofdementia. Inspired by the success ofAn Empty Bliss Beyond This World (2011), Kirby produced the project inKraków out of his fascination with the topic, and made it his final release under the alias. He released each record after a six-month period for listeners to feel the passage of time, and usedabstract art pieces by his friendIvan Seal as album covers. The series drew comparisons to the works of musiciansWilliam Basinski andBurial, while production of the later albums was influenced by thealeatoric music ofavant-gardist composerJohn Cage.

Everywhere at the End of Time comprises over six hours and 30 minutes of music and portrays a range of events in a patient's life, including joy, despair, confusion, nostalgia, anxiety, horror, isolation and death.Stages 1–3 samplebig band music throughout and are the most similar toAn Empty Bliss, whileStages 4–6 depart from the Caretaker's older melodicambient works to form chaoticnoise soundscapes. Anonymous visual artist Weirdcore createdmusic videos for the first two stages, which accompanied Kirby's performances. Initially concerned about the project being seen as pretentious, Kirby thought of not creating the album at all, although he spent more time producing it than any of his other releases. Seal's paintings were covered by a Frenchart exhibition named after the Caretaker'sEverywhere, an Empty Bliss (2019), acompilation album of scrapped tracks. (Full article...)
Image 8
TheSei pezzi per pianoforte ("Six pieces for piano"),P 044, is a set of six solopiano pieces written by the Italian composerOttorino Respighi between 1903 and 1905. These predominantlysalonesque pieces areeclectic, drawing influence from different musical styles and composers. The pieces have various musical forms and were composed separately and later published together between 1905 and 1907 in a set under the same title for editorial reasons; Respighi had not conceived them as asuite, and therefore did not intend to have uniformity among the pieces. The set, underBongiovanni, became his first published work. Five of the six pieces are derived from earlier works by Respighi, and only one of them, the "Canone", has an extantmanuscript.

The "Valse Caressante" displays elements of French salon; lyricism andBaroque are highlighted in the "Canone"; the most popular of the set, the "Notturno", shows signs ofImpressionism; the "Minuetto" is reminiscent of theClassical era; the "Studio" is molded afterChopin's Études; The "Intermezzo-Serenata", resemblingFauré's music, demonstrates Respighi'sRomanticism. (Full article...)
Image 9

Title page of the "Bassus Generalis" for one of thepartbooks in which the Vespers were published in 1610

Vespro della Beata Vergine (Vespers for the Blessed Virgin),SV 206, is a musical setting byClaudio Monteverdi of the eveningvespers onMarian feasts, scored for soloists,choirs, and orchestra. It is an ambitious work in scope and in its variety of style and scoring, and has a duration of around 90 minutes. Published in Venice (with a dedication toPope Paul V dated 1 September 1610) asSanctissimae Virgini Missa senis vocibus ac Vesperae pluribus decantandae, cum nonnullis sacris concentibus, ad Sacella sive Principum Cubicula accommodata ("Mass for the Most Holy Virgin for six voices, and Vespers for several voices with some sacred songs, suitable for chapels and ducal chambers"), it is sometimes called Monteverdi'sVespers of 1610.

Monteverdi composed the music while musician and composer for theGonzagas, thedukes of Mantua. The libretto is compiled from severalLatin Biblical andliturgical texts. The thirteenmovements include the introductoryDeus in adiutorium, five Psalms, fourconcertatomotets and a vocalsonata on the "Sancta Maria" litany, several differently scoredstanzas of the hymn "Ave maris stella", and a choice of twoMagnificats. A church performance would have includedantiphons inGregorian chant for the specific feast day. The composition demonstrates Monteverdi's ability to assimilate both the newseconda pratica, such as in theemerging opera, and the old style of theprima pratica, building psalms and Magnificat on the traditional plainchant as acantus firmus. The composition is scored for up to ten vocal parts and instruments includingcornettos, violins,viole da braccio, andbasso continuo. Monteverdi travelled to Rome to deliver the composition to the Pope in person, and apartbook is held by theVatican Library. (Full article...)
Image 10
"Clown" is a song recorded by American singerMariah Carey for her ninth studio albumCharmbracelet (2002). She wrote the track withAndre Harris,Vidal Davis, and Mary Ann Tatum, and produced it withDre & Vidal. "Clown" is ananswer song to the comments that rapperEminem made about Carey in the media and on the 2002 track "Superman". In the lyrics, Carey denies rumors that their 2001 relationship was romantic and expresses regret that it occurred. She likens Eminem to a liar, a puppet, and a clown whose private personality contradicts his public image.

"Clown" received analysis from scholars who thought Carey was contending that Eminem's masculine persona was fake. Music critics considered the song a highlight fromCharmbracelet and gave its production mixed reviews. They compared it toCarly Simon's "You're So Vain" (1972),Nas's "Ether" (2001),Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" (2002), and thePet Shop Boys' "The Night I Fell in Love" (2002). During theCharmbracelet World Tour, Carey performed "Clown" while puppeteers controlled an Eminem look-alike on stage. (Full article...)
Image 11

The composer (c. 1940–1945)

TheSymphony No. 8,JS 190, was the final major compositional project of the Finnish composerJean Sibelius, occupying him intermittently from the mid-1920s until around 1938, though he never published it. During this time Sibelius was at the peak of his fame, a national figure in his native Finland and a composer of international stature. A fair copy of at least the first movement was made, but how much of the Eighth Symphony was completed is unknown. Sibelius repeatedly refused to release it for performance, though he continued to assert that he was working on it even after he had, according to later reports from his family, burned the score and associated material, probably in 1945.

Much of Sibelius's reputation, during his lifetime and subsequently, derived from his work as asymphonist. HisSeventh Symphony of 1924 has been widely recognised as a landmark in the development of symphonic form, and at the time there was no reason to suppose that the flow of innovative orchestral works would not continue. However, after the symphonic poemTapiola, completed in 1926, his output was confined to relatively minor pieces and revisions to earlier works. During the 1930s the Eighth Symphony's premiere was promised toSerge Koussevitzky and theBoston Symphony Orchestra on several occasions, but as each scheduled date approached Sibelius demurred, claiming that the work was not ready for performance. Similar promises made to the British conductorBasil Cameron and to the FinnishGeorg Schnéevoigt likewise proved illusory. It is thought that Sibelius's perfectionism and exalted reputation prevented him ever completing the symphony to his satisfaction; he wanted it to be even better than his Seventh. (Full article...)
Image 12

Klemperer c. 1920

Otto Nossan Klemperer (German:[ˌɔtoˈklɛmpəʁɐ]^ⓘ; 14 May 1885 – 6 July 1973) was a German conductor and composer, originally based in Germany, and then the United States, Hungary and finally, Great Britain. He began his career as an opera conductor, but he was later better known as a conductor ofsymphonic music.

A protégé of the composer and conductorGustav Mahler, from 1907 Klemperer was appointed to a succession of increasingly senior conductorships in opera houses in and around Germany. Between 1929 and 1931 he was director of theKroll Opera in Berlin, where he presented new works and avant-garde productions of classics. He was from a Jewish family, and the rise of theNazis caused him to leave Germany in 1933. Shortly afterwards he was appointed chief conductor of theLos Angeles Philharmonic, and guest-conducted other American orchestras, including theSan Francisco Symphony, theNew York Philharmonic and later thePittsburgh Symphony, which he reorganised as a permanent ensemble. (Full article...)
Image 13
"One Tree Hill" is a song by Irishrock bandU2 and the ninth track on their 1987 albumThe Joshua Tree. In March 1988, it was released as the fourth single from the album in New Zealand and Australia, while "In God's Country" was released as the fourth single in North America. "One Tree Hill" charted at number one on theNew Zealand Singles Chart and was the country's second-most-successful hit of 1988.

The track was written in memory of Greg Carroll, a New Zealander the band first met inAuckland duringthe Unforgettable Fire Tour in 1984. He became very close friends with lead singerBono and later served as aroadie for the group. Carroll was killed in July 1986 in a motorcycle accident in Dublin. After Carroll'stangi (funeral) in New Zealand, Bono wrote the lyrics to "One Tree Hill" in his memory. The lyrics reflect Bono's thoughts at the tangi and during his first night in New Zealand when Carroll took him up Auckland'sOne Tree Hill. They also pay homage to Chilean singer-songwriter and activistVíctor Jara. Musically, the song was developed in ajam session with producerBrian Eno. The vocals were recorded in a single take, as Bono felt incapable of singing them a second time. (Full article...)
Image 14
Electra Heart is the second studio album by Welsh singer-songwriterMarina Diamandis, released under the stage name Marina and the Diamonds. It was released on 27 April 2012 by679 Artists andAtlantic Records. Diamandis collaborated with producers includingLiam Howe,Greg Kurstin,Dr. Luke,Diplo andStargate during its recording, and subsequently transitioned from thenew wave musical styles seen throughout her debut studio album,The Family Jewels (2010). Their efforts resulted in aconcept album consisting ofelectropop anddance-pop music, a distinct departure from her earlier projects. Lyrically, the album discusses topics of love and identity. Diamandis created the title character "Electra Heart" to represent female archetypes in popular American culture (House Wife, Beauty Queen, Homewrecker, and Idle Teen).

Music critics were divided in their opinions ofElectra Heart, expressing ambivalence towards Diamandis' shift in musical style and its overall production. However, the album retrospectively earned the status of acult classic, withRolling Stone listing it among the 50 greatest concept albums of all time. The album debuted at number one on theUK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 21,358 copies. In doing so, it earned Diamandis her first chart-topping album there. The album was eventually certified gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) for exceeding shipments of 100,000 units.Electra Heart performed moderately on international charts, including a peak position of number 31 on the USBillboard 200, and became Diamandis' highest-charting album in the United States at the time selling an estimated 11,000 copies. The album was eventually certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding shipments of 500,000 units. (Full article...)
Image 15
Rhythm Killers is analbum by Jamaican musical duoSly and Robbie, released in May 1987 byIsland Records. By the time of the album's recording, Sly and Robbie had transitioned away from their prolific work in thereggae genre. They spent the 1980s experimenting withelectronic sounds and contemporary recording technology on international, cross-genre endeavors, which influenced their direction forRhythm Killers.

Sly and Robbie enlisted producerBill Laswell and an ensemble of musicians to record the album at the Quad studio in New York City. Along with their live instruments, the duo used electronic recording equipment such as theFairlight CMI synthesizer andelectronic drums. The predominantlyfunk anddance-oriented album is arranged into twoside-long gaplesssuites of songs. Other styles featured on the record includehip hop,hard rock,worldbeat, anddowntown music. Laswell's denselylayered production incorporated electronicgrooves, hard beats, string synthesizers, andcross-rhythms produced by turntablescratches, African and Latin-influenced percussion, and percussiveraps. (Full article...)

More Featured articles

Selected pictures

Image 1
Nelly Martyl
Photograph credit:Jean Reutlinger; restored byAdam Cuerden
Nelly Martyl (1884–1953) was a French opera singer. She sang in the premieres of several operas, includingLeborne'sLa Catalane (1907),Erlanger'sLa Sorcière (1912), andMassenet'sAmadis (1922). Martyl joined theRed Cross as a nurse during the First World War, and served at theBattle of Verdun in 1916, where she was known asla fée de Verdun (the Fairy of Verdun), and at theSecond Battle of the Aisne in 1917. She continued as a nurse after the war to help with the 1918 epidemic ofSpanish flu. She was awarded theCroix de Guerre with thecarte du combattant (signifying service under particular hazard) in 1920.
More selected pictures
Image 2
Frédéric Chopin
Photo credit:Louis-Auguste Bisson
The only known photograph ofFrédéric Chopin, often incorrectly described as adaguerreotype. It is believed to have been taken in 1849 during the degenerative stages of histuberculosis, shortly before his death. Chopin, aPolish pianist and composer of theRomantic era, is widely regarded as one of the most famous, influential, admired and prolific composers for the piano. He moved to Paris at the age of twenty, adopting the French variant of his name, "Frédéric-François", by which he is now known.
More selected pictures
Image 3
Ariadne auf Naxos
Illustration credit: unknown
Ariadne auf Naxos ('Ariadne onNaxos'),Op. 60, is an opera byRichard Strauss with a Germanlibretto byHugo von Hofmannsthal. Combining slapstick comedy and consummately beautiful music, the opera's theme is the competition between high and low art for the public's attention. The opera was originally conceived as a 30-minutedivertissement to be performed at the end of Hofmannsthal's adaptation ofMolière's playLe Bourgeois gentilhomme. Besides the opera, Strauss providedincidental music to be performed during the play. In the end, the opera was ninety minutes long, and the performance of the play and opera together totalled over six hours. It was first performed at theStaatsoper Stuttgart on 25 October 1912, directed byMax Reinhardt. The combination of the play and opera proved to be unsatisfactory to the audience: those who had come to hear the opera resented having to wait until the play finished. The work was revised in 1916, with the play being replaced by a prologue, and first performed at theVienna State Opera on 4 October of that year.

This picture is the cover of avocal score of the revised edition ofAriadne auf Naxos, published in 1916.
More selected pictures
Image 4
Aida
Photograph: Avinoam Michaeli
Aida is an opera in four acts byGiuseppe Verdi to an Italianlibretto byAntonio Ghislanzoni. Set in theOld Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo'sKhedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December 1871, in a performance conducted byGiovanni Bottesini.

This picture shows the set for a performance ofAida by theIsraeli Opera in 2011.
More selected pictures
Image 5
Thomas Linley the elder
Painting:Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Linley the elder (17 January 1733 – 19 November 1795) was an Englishbass singer and musician. He began his musical career at age 11 inBath, becoming apprentice to the organistThomas Chilcot. Linley married in 1752 and fathered eight children, supporting the family by working as a music teacher. As his children grew he developed their musical talent and was able to draw an increasing amount of income from their concerts. When theBath Assembly Rooms opened in 1771, Linley became musical director and continued to promote his children's careers. He was eventually able to move to London with the thousands of pounds which he had amassed from their concerts. In addition to his children Linley taught tenorCharles Dignum, singer and actressAnna Maria Crouch, and novelistFrances Sheridan. He collaborated with his sonThomas Linley the younger in penning the comic operaThe Duenna, withlibretto by his son-in-lawRichard Brinsley Sheridan.

This picture is anoil-on-canvas painting created around 1770 byThomas Gainsborough, showing Linley holding his "Elegies for Three Voices". It hangs in theDulwich Picture Gallery, London.
More selected pictures
Image 6
Aida
Drawing credit:Philippe Chaperon; restored byAdam Cuerden
Aida is agrand opera in four acts byGiuseppe Verdi to an Italianlibretto byAntonio Ghislanzoni. Set in theOld Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo'sKhedivial Opera House and had its premiere there on 24 December 1871, in a performance conducted byGiovanni Bottesini. Today, the work holds a central place in the operatic canon, receiving performances every year around the world; at New York'sMetropolitan Opera alone,Aida has been sung more than 1,100 times since 1886.

This picture is the set design for Act 1, Scene 2, of the opera's 1871 premiere, depicting theportico of the Temple of Vulcan, designed byPhilippe Chaperon. The drawing is in the collection of theBibliothèque nationale de France.
More selected pictures
Image 7
Griselda (A. Scarlatti)
Manuscript:Alessandro Scarlatti
Griselda is anopera seria in three acts by the Italian composerAlessandro Scarlatti. First performed in 1721, it is based on the story ofPatient Griselda fromGiovanni Boccaccio'sDecameron. Thelibretto is byApostolo Zeno, with revisions by an anonymous author. This manuscript copy by Scarlatti, held at theBritish Library, is of act one, scene one.
More selected pictures
Image 8
Mike Dirnt
Photograph:Sven-Sebastian Sajak
Mike Dirnt (b. 1972) is an American musician, songwriter and composer. He is best known as the co-founder,bassist, backing and occasional lead vocalist of American punk rock bandGreen Day. He has played in several other bands, includingThe Frustrators.
More selected pictures
Image 9
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Photograph credit: unknown; restored byAdam Cuerden
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 1875 – 1 September 1912) was an English composer and conductor. His greatest success was hiscantataHiawatha's Wedding Feast. This set the epic poemThe Song of Hiawatha byHenry Wadsworth Longfellow to music, and was widely performed by choral groups in England and the United States. Composers were not well paid; the work sold hundreds of thousands of copies, but he had sold the music outright for the sum of 15 guineas, so did not benefit directly. He learned to retain his rights and earned royalties for other compositions after achieving wide renown, but always struggled financially. This photograph of Coleridge-Taylor was taken around 1905.
More selected pictures
Image 10
Médée
Graphic:Giuseppe Palanti
Médée is a French-language opera by the composerLuigi Cherubini. Set in the ancient city ofCorinth, Greece, it features alibretto byFrançois-Benoît Hoffman and is based onEuripides'stragic playMedea andPierre Corneille's playMédée. The opera premiered in 1797 at theThéâtre Feydeau in Paris. The long-lost finalaria, which Cherubini appears to have deleted from his original manuscript, was discovered by researchers from theUniversity of Manchester andStanford University by employing X-ray techniques to reveal areas that the composer had blackened out.

This picture shows the title page for a vocal score of the 1909 hybrid version ofMédée.
More selected pictures
Image 11
Fervaal
Illustration credit:Carlos Schwabe; restored byAdam Cuerden
Fervaal is an opera with a prologue and three acts by the French composerVincent d'Indy. Fervaal is the son of a Celtic king and is destined to be the last advocate of the old gods. His mission is to save his homeland from invasion and pillage, but in doing so he must renounce love. This illustration, by the Swiss painterCarlos Schwabe, relates to the 10 May 1898 premiere of the opera at theThéâtre de l'Opéra-Comique in Paris. Here, Fervaal is depicted ascending a mountain while carrying the body of his beloved Guilhen at the end of the opera, as the pagan gods and their worshippers fade out of existence with the dawn of Christianity.
More selected pictures
Image 12
Carl Nielsen
Photograph: Georg Lindstrøm; restoration:Adam Cuerden
Carl Nielsen (1865–1931) was a Danish musician, conductor and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Initially playing in a military band before attending theRoyal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, he premiered hisOp. 1,Suite for Strings, in 1888, at the age of 23. His early music was inspired by composers such asBrahms andGrieg, but he soon developed his own style. By the time of his death, he had produced419 known works; some of these, such as his operaMaskarade (1906), have become integral to Denmark's national heritage.
More selected pictures
Image 13
Le mage
Poster credit:Alfredo Leonardo Edel; restored byAdam Cuerden
Le mage is anopera in five acts byJules Massenet to a Frenchlibretto byJean Richepin. First performed at theParis Opera in 1891, it has rarely been performed since its premiere run of 31 performances, and is one of Massenet's least-known operas. A rare complete concert performance took place at theMassenet Festival inSaint-Étienne in 2012. This poster byAlfredo Edel was produced for the opera's premiere on 16 March 1891.
More selected pictures
Image 14
Lina Rafn
Photo:Jepsen
Lina Rafn (b. 1976) is a Danish singer, songwriter and producer active with the bandInfernal. She had previously been aVJ on the showThe Voice TV Danmark.
More selected pictures
Image 15
Johann Strauss II
Photograph credit: Fritz Luckhardt; restored byAdam Cuerden
Johann Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899) was anAustrian composer oflight music, particularlydance music andoperettas. Part of the Strauss dynasty,his father demanded that none of his sons pursue music as a career, despite their display of musical talent. It was only after his father had abandoned the family for a mistress that the younger Strauss was able to develop his skills as a composer, with the encouragement of his mother. He eventually attained greater fame than his father, and became one of the most popularwaltz composers of the era, conducting extensive tours of Austria, Poland and Germany with his orchestra.
More selected pictures

edit

Related portals

Did you know(auto-generated)

... that in his early careerCharlie Chaplin was booed, heckled, and pelted with oranges and coins until he left the stage ofForesters Music Hall?
... thatAileen Davies sang roles on the first two D'Oyly Carte Opera Company recordings using the new electrical-recording technology?
... thatArthur Honegger's only cello concerto was premiered byits dedicatee and the Boston Symphony Orchestra?
... that the music ofFontaine inGenshin Impact was performed by theLondon Symphony Orchestra?
... that a 1:10 wooden model was used in the acoustic design ofTokyo Opera City Concert Hall?
... thatLinda Anne Hutchison performed as a leading soprano of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, including during its first visit to continental Europe since the 1880s?